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| Oflag XX1-B photographed in 1945 after it had been reopened as Oflag 64 and prisoners had left - Robert Keith |
Tunnel Asselin
In the final post around Long Tunnel Schemes, the Asselin tunnel (sometimes named after POW French Canadian Eddy Asselin who was in charge of the operation) could easily be described as ‘the pits.’ It is not a good mealtime read, but illustrates just what lengths POWs were prepared to go in order to try and break out of captivity.
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| As per photo 1 - Robert Keith |
Oflag XX1-B in Szubin Poland was a POW camp for officers and
had been built in the grounds around a former school. Six brick barrack huts were
positioned on either side of what used to be the playing fields. In September
1942, British and Commonwealth Officers of the Royal Air Force and Fleet Air
Arm were transferred in from Oflag VI-B at Warburg following its temporary
closure (see post ‘X and the Wire Schemes’). The POWs also included airmen from
Poland, Czechoslovakia and other occupied countries serving in the RAF, as well
as flyers from the Allied Air Forces - RAAF, RNZAF, RCAF, SAAF, USAAF. In
October and November 1942 more British RAF Officers and NCOs arrived from
Stalag Luft III to help relieve overcrowding there. As the war in the skies
intensified, the inevitable steady stream of newly captured British, American
and Allied Air Force Officers also arrived from Dulag Luft.
A hard core of regular escapers were soon in situ and began
absorbing the geography and structure of the camp. They had no intention of
staying. Just a few of them have been listed below. The names are formidable:
Lt Commander Jimmy Buckley - Had been Big-X
‘Wings’ Day, B A 'Jimmy' James and John ‘Johnnie’ Dodge - See
previous posts
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| Flt Lieutenant B A 'Jimmy' James |
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| RAF Sgt Per Bergsland - One of the three Great Escapers to later make a successful home run (see previous posts) - (Jonathan Vance, University of Western Ontario) |
Flt Lts Oliver Philpott and Eric Williams - Later escaped from Stalag Luft 111 via ‘The Wooden Horse’ and made it to Sweden
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William Ash RAF 411 Squadron - American born pilot who relinquished his citizenship to join the RCAF and fly Spitfires. An iron willed and repeated escaper with unshakeable resilience and determination. Had endured numerous beatings and interrogation by the Gestapo. Later became a journalist and writer.
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| Flt Lt Peter Stevens RAFVR 144 Squadron - Habitual escaper and nuisance to the enemy - Claire A Stevens |
PO Jorgen Thalbitzer RAF 234 Squadron - A Dane who had joined the RAF and changed his name to John Thompson to protect his family still living in Denmark.
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| RAF Pilot Robert Kee - In the thick of escape work. Historian and future author. |
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RAF Pilot Anthony Barber - Future politician and Lord Chancellor.
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| RAF Officer Aidan Crawley - In charge of security at Oflag X11-B. Author, County Cricketer and future MP - www.in.com |
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RAF Squadron Leader Dudley Craig (left) - A number of breakouts resulting in recapture. Involved in ‘The Wooden Horse’ and Great Escape. One of the regular POWs using the vaulting horse whilst the digging went on below. Unable to get out of the tunnel in the Great Escape before it was discovered.
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Conditions in the camp were grim, with poor rations apart from the lifeline of Red Cross parcels. There was jaundice, lice and the prisoners had minus 15 degrees of Polish winter to look forward to. Tunnelling during the main winter months was often restricted because of the weather, frozen ground near the surface and the chances of survival in the cold once out of the camp.
German microphones positioned in the ground to detect underground
workings were not seen as a huge obstacle. The POW’s camp intelligence system
had ascertained that any sounds of excavation during the daytime merged into
the sound of POWs walking around above, because the microphones were too
sensitive. It was decided to have regular groups of POW’s pacing about above
and stamping their feet to try and get warm.
4) A false section was created to the hole and disturbance
in the dividing wall. This was removable and could be put in to conceal any
activity if the Germans came in to the latrines.
6) To enter the workings it was first necessary to squeeze
through the hole where the toilet seat was, come within a few inches of the
lake of sewage, wriggle through the hole in the wall and reach the chamber and
tunnel entrance.
Working in virtual or complete darkness and barely being
able to move in the stink and cling of clay or the filth which sometimes washed
in from the latrines was hideous in itself, but William Ash described how the
taste of the tunnel also filled the mouth when earth fell from an unshored part
of the roof and the digger’s mouth was already open gasping for air.
Tunnel Size
Stooges (Lookouts)
2) Stooge sitting authentically on the toilet seat guarding
the tunnel entrance and ensuring no one used it whilst workers were below.
Digging Tools
1) Scoops made out of old tins
2) Home-made knives
Shifting the Dirt down the Tunnel
Large bag tied to a long piece of string. This was hauled
back to the disposal team who scooped out the dirt with cans, throwing the soil
into the main latrine, then prodding the contents around to mix them in. As the
tunnel distance increased, men were positioned mid-way to take the bag and
reposition it before being hauled back by a man at the entrance.
Shoring
Bed boards from around the camp. Cave ins were frequent and
POWs were approached to give up a bed board or more.
Manpower
Thirty men on the project working in three shifts of eight.
First shift would dig, second shift dispersed earth, (mostly in the latrine pit)
and the third shored up and secured tunnel after the digging session. Progress
was hindered by additional Appels from
the usual two a day, which meant diggers often had to come to the surface and
get cleaned up as best as they could to be ready for the ‘parade’ and checking
off of names. Despite this, the team managed to hack out a few feet on some
days. Diggers worked naked whilst in the tunnel.
Air for the Tunnel
1) An old army kit bag converted to bellows.
2) The air pipeline was made of dried Klim milk tins from
Red Cross Parcels joined together (method later used in the Great Escape.)
Light
Lighting long tunnels was always a problem as the length
increased. Lamps fuelled by margarine were used with the wick from a boot lace.
Geography outside the Camp
1) Constructed and mapped as per standard systems covered in
previous posts. E.g. views from inside the wire, camp intelligence information,
specifics given by anyone who had escaped and been recaptured (after release
from solitary confinement) and also details from new POWs coming into the camp.
2) Additional information was obtained following the death
of one of the officer POWs. Wings Day as Camp Senior Officer was allowed to attend
his funeral held with military honours in the nearby village. He memorised the
surrounding area, passing the intelligence on to the escape committee and rest
of the team.
By the beginning of March 1943 the tunnel was almost ready,
but reliable intelligence had been received that there were plans to move the
prisoners to Stalag Luft 111. (some had been there before they were sent to Szubin).
It made immediate completion of the work essential. The tunnel was completed by 3 March and a decision was made to
move on the 5th as there was not much moon that night.
Numbers to Escape
As many men as possible to fit in the tunnel ‘head to toe’ for a
few hours after evening Appel without
suffocating. Given the physical numbers, proximity to the main
sewage pit, cess pool, latrines and size of the tunnel, there was no margin for
error. Thirty three men would have to lie there in terrible conditions (half in
the tunnel and half jammed into the cavern area near to the entrance), the only
light being from margarine lamps if they managed to burn in the foul
atmosphere.
Any cave ins would almost certainly result in fatalities.
Personnel
Those involved on the team would go plus John ‘Johnnie’ Dodge,
'Wings' Day and security chief Aidan Crawley. The men had all been
equipped with various ‘civilian’ clothes and forged papers.
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| 'Wings' Day- IWM |
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| Major John ‘Johnnie’ Dodge - IWM |
Exit
On 5 March after the last Appell at around five pm, the escapers
gradually wandered towards the latrines either singly or in a gradual straggle.
A rugby match was taking place as cover on the exercise ground nearby and none
of the guards seemed to notice that fewer men were coming out of the latrine
than went in. The men crawled into the two foot square tunnel wedged one after
another in the darkness. The air being pulled in by the bellows came from the
stinking latrine pit nearby and must have been indescribable. As the escapers
lay waiting in the tunnel, the camp cesspool began leaking over them.
The final opening of the tunnel and fresh air must have been
indescribable to the first few POWs waiting at the far end.
Escape
The tunnel opening came up clear of the wire, exactly where
they had calculated. All thirty three prisoners got out and clear. An
additional escaper followed in broad daylight the following morning before Appel when Squadron Leader Don Gericke a
South African, noticed there were no signs that the tunnel had been discovered.
He quickly located some escape rations, crawled down the tunnel and walked
casually away trying to look like a local. He was soon recaptured. Thirty one
of the thirty three were also captured, but some of the good German speakers
covered significant miles before being apprehended. Two escapers were never taken.
Former Big- X Jimmy Buckley and the Danish pilot Jorgen Thalbitzer were the two
escapers not recaptured. The two men travelled together and managed to reach
Denmark. Having been unable to board a ship, they were lost trying to paddle
across to Sweden in a canoe on 29 March 1943. Thalbitzer’s body was later
washed ashore, Buckley was never found. It is possible that they were struck in
the dark by another vessel.
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| Lt Commander Jimmy Buckley |
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PO Jorgen Thalbitzer
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Sources:
National Archives
Under the Wire – William Ash with Brendan Foley (highly
recommended read)
Author’s notes
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